A New Home, A New Life
by starlettgurl
Summary: a girl comes to the United States with nowhere to go. The brotherhood finds her, but a few bad choices, and her life is changed forever... Please R&R! Chapter 15 is up!!!!!
1. The Great Escape

Hello everyone

Hello everyone! Time to get this story going. So here it goes! Hope you enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I think you know what it is….

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RUN! RUN! RUN! I screamed to myself. _MUY RAPIDO!_

I could hear the screams and cries of the villagers behind me, the crashing of their feet through the brush. I continued to run, rain running into my eyes, stumbling over the various stumps and twigs in my way. I could see the docks ahead of me._ PLEASE LEGS DON'T GIVE UP! _I yelled curses to the villagers behind me. I ran up to the huge ship that was getting ready to set sail. I quickly jumped to a jutting edge, and climbed the best I could to the rails. Water was sloshing up the sides, and I kept nearly sliding back into the arms of the angry mob. I finally reached the rails and I turned around, and looked triumphantly at the villagers below. "_Adios mi amigos!"_ I yelled to them. 

I turned back to the ship I was clinging to, and climbed over the railing, hoping no one had heard the commotion I had made. I sighed, seeing no one, hearing no one. I turned back to the waving torches the villagers were holding. I grinned, waving back towards them. _I hate it when stuff like this happens._ I thought regretfully. " Oh well." I whispered. _Time to find a place to sleep._ I walked as quietly as I could, hoping to find a corner or niche I could sleep in. Preferably hidden from prying eyes. I spotted the perfect place after a few minutes of circling the deck. _It's perfect! You couldn't find it unless you were looking for it._ I had found an old barrel. Even though it smelled slightly of soured grape juice, it would work. It was very light weight, and I was able to carry it down to the storage compartments._ What a day, _I thought tiredly._ I wonder where this ship is headed? Well, I guess it doesn't matter. I'll find somewhere to stay._

I had the perfect gig, before being chased off by those nitwit villagers. I had worked for a traveling circus. I had been the "Amazing Gator Girl", and had been paid a good $50 a week. Why was I called that you might ask? Well, because of my appearance of course. I was born a freak of nature, with the skin of an alligator, green and scaly. My teeth were extremely sharp, and my eyes were a cold, emotionless gold. I couldn't see very well, and had to wear contacts. I couldn't find any glasses that would fit my…gator appearance. I could make my skin normal, as in I could make it look human. But doing this always drained me, and I had never really wanted to be someone else. I guess you might think that suprising, but I like to be different. I liked to remember the fact that I was a total original. Sure I felt a bit lonely not being able to do normal teenage things, like going to the movies or the mall. But I wasn't totally friend less. I had friends all over the Latin American world, and each and every one accepted me as myself. _I don't need anyone to get me through this situation… but it is always kind of nice to know where your going, and if you've got someone who knows your troubles there. But no one knows what I'm going through, not…a single… person…on…earth. _And I drifted off to sleep with these dismal thoughts.

I woke the next morning sore, stiff, and confused._ Where am I? What day is it? Why am I here? Where's Josh and Jeff? Where are the others? And why do I stink?_ It always took me a while to wake up. And I was NOT enjoying the smell of this barrel. I listened for breathing or footsteps, and when I heard none, I slowly and cautiously climbed out of the barrel. I lost my balance and landed butt first on the floor. "Ow! That hurt!" I muttered. I glared at the barrel, blaming it for my clumsiness. I listened to see if anyone had heard my…**graceful** fall._ Not a sound,_ I thought happily, _maybe all that practice on the high wire DID help. _ I got off my butt and started to explore my new chamber._ Lots of boxes, _I thought. _What am I gonna do for clothes? _Mine had gotten soaked from the rain of the night before. I checked the boxes for clothes, and luckily enough, I had found one. I looked for a hammer or a crowbar._ I need SOMETHING to pry the lid off with…but what?_ I looked for an hour, circling the boxes, trying to lift some of them to look underneath. Nothing. I couldn't find a thing. I was shivering the entire time, hoping for something to turn up. Luck was definitely NOT on my side today. My stomach was growling quite fiercely. From my guess, it was about ten in the morning before I started to look for food. I crawled carefully up the stairs, on deck, praying that no one would see me. I changed to my more human form, just in case. But I didn't open my mouth. I could change my skin color, but I couldn't change the shape of my teeth. _I'm in luck! This ship isn't a cruise ship, _I thought excitedly. _I could play that I'm deaf…and got lost and wondered on the ship. I could go to the cook and beg for scraps._

I walked determinably to the where the kitchen was (or where I hoped the kitchen was) and low and behold, there it was. _At least my sense of direction wasn't affected by that incident last night. _I was a bit nervous about my eyes, but it wasn't too odd to see kids with strange colored eyes nowadays. _I hope any ways._ I looked carefully around the corner, and saw a grizzly old black man with at least 6 foot 7, with 15 tattoos (that I could see). My heart fell down to my feet. _This isn't going to be as easy as I thought it would be, _I thought dismally. But I wasn't going to give up just yet. I gathered up as much of my shattered courage as I could, and walked slowly into the kitchen. I cleared my throat, and walked up to the cook and tapped him on the shoulder. "WHAT!" he jumped. I ran away, and hid behind the wall. I peeked around after a moment, and saw him staring half angrily, half amusingly. He had seen how scared I was, and that I hadn't meant to surprise him. I walked slowly around the door and smiled with my mouth closed._ Maybe he isn't as bad as he looks. _He grinned at me…and he had pointed teeth! His weren't as sharp as mine, but they were pointed! I guess he noticed me staring, because he closed his mouth and reached out a hand to me. He spoke with a thickly accented voice, but I couldn't tell what kind of language he originally spoke. 

"It is alright kid. I not hurt you." He said softly. _He thinks I'm afraid of him,_ I thought, amazed.

I looked down at my feet, "I know. It's just…your like me…I think any way." I could tell he didn't understand what I was saying, and I looked up, trying to explain better. I showed him my teeth, and I saw what I had meant finally dawned on him. He grinned, showing me his teeth again. I nodded, smiling. I heard my stomach growl again. I blushed, and looked pleadingly, or what I hoped was pleadingly, into his eyes. "Could I have something to eat?" I asked. _Please, oh please, oh please!_ I begged silently in my mind.

He looked silently at me, considering my request. "Yes child. You have something to eat, k?" he said slowly. I smiled at him "_Mucho gracias_ _senor." _ He looked at me, confused. "Sorry. I said 'thank you very much.'" I smiled sheepishly. He nodded and said, "You is welcome. Sit, I fix food."


	2. America, Here I Come!

Hello everyone

Hola amigos y amigas! A couple of things in my story will be in Spanish. If you need a translation, just tell me in reviews ok?

Disclaimer: I do not own X-men, I only own the newer characters in my story, blah, blah, blah…Newayz…

I sat for a few minutes, and watched him cook. _He's really fast,_ I thought as he served me a quick meal of eggs. "Thank you again-" "No need. I no mind cooking small extra meal for kindred spirit" he interrupted.

I smiled and dug into my meal. _Yummy...this is the best meal I've had in while! _I told the man so, and finished the meal quickly. I was feeling a bit faint from my human form, and didn't want the guy to notice, but I had so many questions! But I needed to go regain my strength. _He'll be here later. You can come back._

"Can you do me a favor?" I asked him. 

" What?"

"Could you not tell anyone you've seen me? Please?" I asked tentatively.

He looked at me oddly, but nodded

"Thank you," I said, relieved. " You're the only one who knows I'm on this ship, so please don't tell."

I turned around to leave, took a quick look around, but before I left I had to ask one question. "Before I go, could you answer one question for me?"

"What you asking?" he replied in his very thick accent.

"Where is this ship headed? What country are we going to?"

He grinned, showing his fearsome teeth. " We is headed to America, land of free men." He answered.

I looked up at him, confused and excited. _America? I…I've never been to America. I won't have anywhere to go…but I'll manage. I hope._

I walked in a daze to the compartments of the ship. I, luckily, didn't bump into anyone. I quickly shifted back to normal before I passed out. I went to my barrel and hopped in, ready to think about my new destination._ I've lived with no roof over my head before, and I can do it again. Maybe, if I'm lucky, I'll find a shelter that will take me in. Or a kind family will except me for who I am…_I had to laugh at that one. It sounded just like a line from a soap opera or something. _I can't believe I thought that. The world is a hard place and people are only looking out for number one. Well, there are some exceptions, but their very rare people. I've only met a few in MY life. Oh well. I can worry about it when we land. I wonder when we'll be landing? Okay…this barrel is okay to sleep in, but it's pretty uncomfortable to just sit and think._ I climbed out of it and searched again for a crowbar or something, but again found nothing. Being bored (and a bit nosy), I went and looked in all of the boxes to see their contents._ Clothe, fabrics, jewelry, nothing I can use. _I went to back to the box with containing the clothes, and tried to pry it open with my hands. No Luck. _After dark, I'll look on deck for a crowbar or a hammer or something. Maybe there is something in there I can use up there._ I lay in a small pool of sun, curled up into a ball, and fell asleep.

__

WHAT WAS THAT! I froze, listening for the source of the sound. There it was again! I pushed of the blanket that was covering me, and got up slowly, and looked for the person, or thing, that made the noise._ There!_ It came from a box in the corner that I hadn't noticed before. It was a tall box, about 5 feet tall, with a bunch of holes in the side. I walked carefully, never taking my eyes off of it, avoiding all the boxes scattered about, making my way to the tall box._ What do we have here?_ I peered into one of the various holes. "What are you?" I murmured to the creature in the box. "**Hello! Hola!" **I jumped, then sighed with relief._ It's just a bird._ I smiled inquisitively. _That box doesn't look too hard to open…_I looked around the box, looking for it's weakest spot._ There!_ I smiled. I reached for the two loose nails and pulled as hard as I could. It opened with a small shriek of wood, and then a rather large being flew out and landed on my arm. "**Hello! Hola!**" the bird said. 

"Hola! Como estas la pajaro?" I asked. He cocked his head and whistled. I laughed. Still smiling I pet his head. He cocked his head so that his neck was showing. "Do you want me to scratch there?" He kind of nodded his head and I smiled wider._ What kind of bird are you? I've seen some that looked just like you before. _I held my hand up to his chest. He climbed on to my hand, and I set him down onto one of the boxes. I looked up to the small window and saw that it was night time. My stomach growled in response._ I'm really hungry, but I doubt that Mr. Cook guy is still up._ I got ready to go check when I heard the sound of feet on a tin plate. I turned towards the sound and saw the bird eating a plate of food._ Now where did that come from?_ I wondered._ Probably from the cook. I hope no one saw him coming down here. _I hurried over before the bird ate everything.

"That was good," I said contentedly. "Now to go look for a crowbar." I tucked the bird back into His box, changed the color of my skin, and walked slowly up the steps to the main deck. I looked for the place that would most likely have the tools. _There's the closet!_ I walked as quietly as I could to the closet, and opened it slowly, just to make sure my guesses were right._ I'm getting kind of good at this game,_ I thought smugly. I looked for and found the crowbar I had needed for so long hidden behind a smelly mop. I tried hard not to touch the dirty thing, but was very unsuccessful. _YUCK! _I thought disgustedly._ Nasty little trapeadora! _I backed slowly out of the closet and shut the door tightly. I walked to the stairs and went to the lower compartments. I was very tired after this venture, and went to my barrel to fall asleep.

I woke to the sound of a very unhappy bird, chewing on his box. I rubbed my eyes and got out of my barrel more careful this time. _I didn't fall this time! Yeah for me!_ I walked quietly to the box, pulled out the nails, and got out my feathered friend. "What am I going to call you?" I whispered to the bird. He just cocked his head and fluffed his feathers. _Well, you're a lot of help." _Hmmm…a name should reflect a person's, or in your case, a birds personality. You're very sweet, a little goofy, and little annoying. Hmmm…what name would fit you…"

I started to chew the side of my cheek, thinking of the thousands of names I'd heard other people call their pets._ I guess I could call you something in Spanish. But what? _I thought back to what I had first called him_._ "Do you mind if your name is just _Pajaro?"_ I asked him. He did a sort of nod, and I took that for a yes. What I had gone looking last night for suddenly came back to me. I searched around, looking where I had dropped the crowbar._ Here it is. Now to get that box open. _I searched for the box. As soon as I found it, I stuck the edge of the bar under the lid of the box and pulled the handle of the crowbar down. There was the horrible shriek as the screws came loose from the wood, and the smell of mothballs filled the air. I froze, but the noise from on the main deck never stopped. I sighed and started to search through the clothes. _Jeans, those will definitely work, hose, umm…no. Oh, I love this shirt._ Hey, I'm a teenager too ya know. _This cape will prove to be useful later on…what am I forgetting? Oh yeah, shoes! Hmm…lets see here, sandals, yeah those will work. Tennis shoes, even better. What's this? _ I laughed._ A boa? Where is this box going to anyway? A play on Broadway? Probably so. Here's a bag to carry all of this stuff in. I wonder when we'll get to America?_

I packed all of my discoveries back in the bag I found. I closed the lid to the box as best as I could with the crowbar as a hammer. I tried not to make much noise, so I couldn't really put it on as well as it was originally put on. But, hey, I tried. I heard my stomach growling, but there was too much going on up top, so I couldn't sneak a meal._ Maybe we're getting ready to land! _I hoped so, because I was tired of being cooped up in this place. _I'll have to ask my new friend. _I thought happily. I was getting bored, just sitting there and watching_ Pajaro_ clean his feathers, so I decided to check out a few more boxes. I headed towards where I left the crowbar, and headed to the small box full of jewelry. I slowly opened it, hoping that it wouldn't shriek like the others. _ "Si!"_ I exclaimed. I had opened it without a sound. I would have done a victory dance, but I wasn't feeling that insane, so I didn't. _Pajaro_ flew over to sit on my shoulder, he feeling as curious as I was. I picked up the costume jewelry, looking for anything to perk my fancy._ Well, well, well, what do we have here? _I had found the coolest anklet I had ever seen. It was silver, and had twenty tiny bells hanging from the silver chain. I put it on, just to test how it felt. I turned to _Pajaro_ and asked in a movie star voice, " What do you think? Is it me daaarling?" he whistled and I laughed. " Do you really think so _Pajasito?_" I did a little twirl and he flew up to my shoulder. I turned my head and kissed his beck. " I'm glad you think so."

I busied myself for the rest of the afternoon with the boxes. I had decided to _borrow_ the anklet for now. I had added a dress, jeans, a shirt, shoes, and an anklet to my bag, and decided that I didn't need anything else. I didn't really think of it as stealing, even though it was. But I figured if the people who owned this stuff knew what I was going through, they would understand. At least _I_ would. But anyway…I had forgotten all about being hungry until it the sun started to go down. I quickly piled all of the stuff in the box I was inspecting, closed the lid and quickly stood up to hide the crowbar._ Whoa, bad idea. Shouldn't have done that. _I was feeling horribly dizzy and had double vision. I sat down on the box, trying to stop my head from spinning. "Guess I need to eat something, right _Pajaro_?" I said getting up a little slower. I still felt dizzy, but I had lost the double vision. I heard a sound on the stairs, and quickly changed into my human skin. I hurried and jumped into my barrel, hoping this intruder hadn't seen me. "Child, child where you be? I got food. I no see you this morning. I got worried." _Oh, it's just the cook._ I sighed. I climbed quickly out of the barrel, and fell flat on my butt. Again. He laughed, and I stuck out my tongue. "There you be," he said between chuckles. " I brought you dinner. Come eat. Is good" I got up and strode over to sit on the box across from him. "I want to ask of you something." He said after I finished my meal. 

"What?" I asked.

"What is you name?" I looked surprised, then remembered in our first conversation that I had never mentioned my name. "Oh, that's right. My name is Carmonetta. But you can call me Carmen. What's your name?" I replied.

"I is Andre. You finished?" he answered, pointing to my plate. "Oh, yeah. Yeah, it was really good. Thank you for bringing it to me." I said. He took my plate, and got ready to leave. " Wait!" he turned around and looked at me. "I wanted to ask you what all the commotion up top was about today." He thought for a moment and said, " Oh yes. We is landing in America tomorrow. You is excited, yes?" I grinned "Yeah. More than you can imagine."

So what do you think? R&R please !!!


	3. New Orleans

DISCAIMER: I do not own the X-men or the Brotherhood, so don't sue me

DISCAIMER: I do not own the X-men or the Brotherhood, so don't sue me. You'll only get about 50 cents anyway. 

Also, please don't use my characters (I think you'll know which one's are mine) without my permission. Thank you and please R&R!

It was late at night, and we had just landed the day before in the docks of America. I had gone a few hours earlier to say good-bye to Andre, and was getting ready to sneak off of the ship and make my way into this new land. _Ai Carumba_ was I nervous! But I couldn't worry about that now. I put my cloak in my bag, and called_ Pajaro_ to my shoulder. I picked up my bag and pulled it over my other shoulder. I looked around, thinking that I might have forgot something. Seeing that I had everything packed, I changed my skin, and quickly climbed the stairs, listening for sounds of movement on board. There was total silence. _I might just get away from this without any trouble_, I thought. I ran quickly to the railing and climbed over. I dug my fingernails into the cracks between the wood, and climbed slowly down the slick sides of the ship. By the time I reached the ropes where the ship was tied in, I was covered with salt water. _It's a good thing I didn't put my cloak on before I left. I would be really cold now._

"How are you doing, Pajaro?" I asked the bird. He whistled and bobbed his head. I took that as an ok. I slid down the rope holding the ship to the dock, and stood up quickly with no trouble of slipping, despite the fact that my shoes were soaked.

It was a warm night, and only a scattering of stars could be seen. I looked towards the east to the tiny sliver of moon peeking through the cloudy sky. I looked for a restaurant I could change my clothes in. I found the perfect one across the street from the docks. It was a McDonalds, and all kinds of people came in there. I walked quickly to the restaurant, and made a beeline straight to the bathrooms. I picked the cleanest stall and put my hand up to _Pajaro's_ chest, and made him stand on the stall's door. I pulled on a new shirt and jeans, and pulled the cloak on over it. I pulled up the hood, covering my face and let my skin turn back to normal. I allowed _Pajaro_ to fly back to my shoulder._ Okay, let's get out of here and find somewhere to sleep._ I thought.

I left the restaurant, avoiding the strange looks everyone gave me. I ran away from the restaurant, hoping no one would be curious enough to follow me. I searched for an abandoned house or comfy corner, but didn't find one in this part of the city. I didn't want to go into the main part of town, but it looked like I had to. I started to walk down the street, when I noticed the farther I went into the town, the weirder everyone began to look. Most shops were decorated with purple, gold, and green streamers. Most were selling odd masks. Some were horribly grotesque, with bulging eyes and missing teeth. Some were beautiful, shining with glitter and others were plain, boring masks. Some covered your whole face, some only half, some only around the eyes were covered. I thought about buying one, but decided that I could put fifteen dollars to better use. I saw a man sitting on an old park bench. I walked up and asked him " Hey _senor_! Why are all of the shops decorated?"

He gave me a funny look that clearly said 'what planet are you from'. "They're getting ready for Mardi Gras of course. You're in New Orleans, _chere." _I looked up at the thousands of streamers lining every doorway, and I guess my hood slipped back a little, because I heard him say "Nice mask _chere_! Very realistic." I mumbled 'thank you', and walked as fast as I could around the corner. I pulled my hood back up all the way, and started searching again for a place to stay during the night. I finally found a deserted bench in an overgrown, weedy part of a park near the middle of town. The only signs that anyone had been near here was some old shoe prints in the dry mud. I allowed _Pajaro_ to search for food. While he was gone, I sat and thought over what the gentleman had said. _A mask, huh? Maybe I won't have to waste as much energy as I thought by wearing my skin._ I smiled, thinking how crazy I am to stay in this town, and to go around without my hood on! It felt like heaven to be myself out in the open. I felt _Pajaro's_ claws digging in my shoulder, and turned around to tell him goodnight. I drifted to sleep that night, for the first time anticipating the day ahead.

I woke the next morning to the unwelcome sound of trumpets blaring. People were shouting and cheering, making as much noise as they could. I felt like shouting 'Shut Up!' but suddenly remembered where I was, and what day it was. I jumped to my feet, waking _Pajaro _as rudely as I had been waken. He peeped in protest, but was awake so he flew off to find food. I was impatient for him to return, because I wanted to get some breakfast and check out the excitement. He returned quickly carrying a small lump of bread in his beak.

"Where did you get that from?" I asked him. He ignored me and continued to eat as if I wasn't here._ How rude. _I started to pack up the blanket that I had gotten out the night before, and set out to the streets with my hood down, enjoying the breeze that blew my hair. I could smell the strange smells that people were cooking up, and before I knew it, I was caught up in the madness! Someone had grabbed my hand and was spinning me in circles. I nearly lost my balance when they let go. I heard someone shouting in my ear, "Nice costume! Did you do it yourself?" I turned to see who was talking to me, and saw the greenest eyes ever. They belonged to a boy about my age, covered with paint and streamers. His black hair was in dreadlocks that hung down to his chin. He was staring at me, expecting an answer. "Yeah. You could say it's a natural talent of mine!" I yelled back. "Cool" he shouted, grinning. Without warning, someone slammed into me, and I was knocked out of the crowd, in to one of the various stores that lined the street. _Ow! That hurt!_ I thought, rubbing my shoulder. I hoped whoever it was got scratched by my scales. I looked to see what sort of shop it was, and saw that they were selling sweet bread. My stomach reminded me that I hadn't eaten at all today. I went up to the counter and ordered.

"Hey, can I get some of that stuff…Yeah that." I said, pointing out a small roll covered with a sugar glaze.

"Sure. Hey nice costume. Who made it for you?" the girl behind the counter asked.

"Oh, this old thing? It's a…natural talent of mine" 

She stared at me, her hands moving with a mind of their own. "Wow! You made that?" 

"Yeah." I said, playing along. _Might as well not make too much of a fuss over it. _

She glanced up at my shoulder, and noticed for the first time that my bird wasn't fake. "Aww…. Cute bird!"

"Thanks!" I said as she handed me my roll. I walked to one of the tables in the corner and watched people come and go.

10 minutes later, I was licking the sugar off of my fingers. I had feed small crumbs to _Pajaro_ and he ate them like he was starved. I picked up my stuff, and went outside. Most of the crowd had moved further along, up the street. I turned and went the other way, thinking that I had had enough excitement for today. I headed towards the road that I thought lead out of New Orleans. After an hour or so, I figured that I had gone the wrong way, and tried to turn around, because I had ended up in the darker side of the town. After a few minutes of walking along the same road back into the city, I had a feeling that I was being followed. I held my hand up to _Pajaro's_ chest, and lifted him into the air. He took the hint, and flew off. I started to walk faster, quickly turning around. I vaguely saw a bulky shape out of the corner of my eye, and it didn't look human. I knew that whatever it was probably wasn't going to ask for directions, so I broke out into an all out run, and hoped that I was nearing shops soon. I ran for what seemed like hours. My lungs were aching, my legs starting to cramp. I had a stitch in my side, but I ran on. I could hear this creature's feet pounding against the pavement. Having this, thing, chase me defiantly put some extra energy into my system! I saw the docks and immediately turned towards them. The ship I had come here on was still docked, and I prayed that someone was still on it.

"Help!" I screamed. I turned around to face the monster that was chasing me, and gasped at what I saw. He was huge! Muscles bulged from his body. He was hairy, and wore a large fur coat. He had sharp claws, which showed while he was bent over double, gasping for breath. He had huge teeth, that showed so well while he was panting. I screamed for help again. Nothing moved but his heaving chest and mine. I started to edge away from him, hoping that I could get away. "Don't…. Move." he gasped out. I froze, paralyzed with fear.

He stood up straight, showing me his full height. This guy was about 7 feet tall!

I looked around, hoping to find something to defend myself with, but I found nothing. _I wish I had packed that crowbar now!_ I stared at him, never taking my eyes off. I had always heard that you should never take your eyes off of your enemy. And I certainly wasn't going to let this…this…animal get the best of me!

"I know what you are," he growled, "and you won't get away from me. I'm like you…. In a way. I also am part of the new breed of humans. A mutant. But I've conquered my powers. You have yet to discover them. I am Sabertooth, and you are my prey. I am stronger, and more powerful than you are. I could squash you in a second. But I prefer to play with my prey first."

I stared at him._ Like him? I'm nothing like him! He is nothing but an **animale**! I can't beat him. Not by overpowering him, but by using intelligence, I just might win. Hairy here can't boast that he's smarter than I am. Plus, I think I'm more agile._ I started to circle, hoping he would follow my lead. He stood stalk still. He still blocked the path to the city. _Maybe he's smarter than I give him credit for…_ I stopped circling, seeing that it only brought me closer to him. "I smell fear!" he whispered, and then he lunged for me. I saw a quick movement coming from the direction of the ship out of the corner of my eyes.

Before I could understand what had happened, Sabertooth was on the ground, and Andre was in front of me, protecting me from the monster.

"Andre! Are you insane?! He'll kill you!" I whispered to the old man's back.

He just grunted at me, and stared at the angry body of my attacker. 

"Bad move old man!" Sabertooth growled, and lunged at Andre. I ran to get out of the way, and Andre leaped nimbly out of the way. Sabertooth nearly fell off the dock into the water, but caught his balance at the last moment. If it hadn't been such a life-threatening situation, I would have laughed at Sabertooth. He looked at Andre as if he was a little kid who had lost his favorite toy to an older kid. Sabertooth started walking slowly towards Andre, making Andre start to back up. I watched the two of them in amazement, wondering how Andre seemed to be winning this fight. But I had spoken too soon. Andre stumbled over some rope. Sabertooth took advantage of Andre's moment of weakness, and pounced on him, grabbing him by the throat. Sabertooth picked Andre up a foot off the ground, trying to strangle him. 

Before I could think, I had jumped onto Sabertooth's back, and was biting him as hard as I could on the shoulder. I tasted blood, and he screamed. He threw Andre down and reached for me. He tore me off of his back, and threw me onto the ground. I cried out in pain as the air was knocked out of me.

I looked up, and saw Sabertooth's foot land on my chest, and push as hard as he could, trying to crush me. I screamed, and my vision started to blur. I vaguely saw a shape throw himself into Sabertooth's side, knocking him off of me. I took a deep breath, and started to cough. My vision started to return to normal, and I sat up. I got to my feet, and looked for Sabertooth. He and Andre were throwing punches that never made it to each others body. I saw Sabertooth stumble, and one of Andre's punches finally connected with Sabertooth's face. He landed on his back, seemingly unconscious. I ran over to Andre's side, and looked him over.

"You don't seem to be hurt…" I said, finding only some minor cuts and bruises. 

"Yes, I fine. You okay, kid." He asked "Yeah. Just fine." I said smiling. 

I finally realized that I hadn't shifted back to my human skin.

"You're…. You're not afraid of me?" I asked nervously, backing away from him.

"No child. All that matters show on inside. You is good person, and even old man like me can see dat." He answered.

I smiled and hugged him. After I let him go, he walked over to Sabertooth's unconscious body. 

"He is a great bear of man, eh?" Andre said after a minute of silence. "Yeah. And I hope I never have to deal with him ever again." I replied.

Andre turned around and headed back towards the ship. "You doing okay in dis big city?"

" Yes. I'm off to a pretty good start, so far." I said, following him.

We stared at the big ship that had been my freedom, the one that carried me to America. The one that had given me a new life. I owed a lot to that ship.

I began to get lost in my gracious thoughts, when I heard a quick movement from behind.

I turned and watched in horror as Sabertooth came up behind Andre and stabbed him in the back. Time seemed to slow down after that, and I screamed as Andre's limp body fell to the floor.

"Show's you for getting in the way of my business, old man." Sabertooth growled. "I'll be seeing you later, demon."

I watched him run away and go around the corner in a flash. I kneeled down and put a shaking hand to Andre's cooling check. Unwanted tears slowly ran down my cheek. The only person that had ever really cared about me was gone, forever.

Sabertooth's promise rang in my ears as I cradled Andre's head._ I'll be seeing you later demon…I'll be seeing you later demon…._

Oh yes. I'll be seeing you again. Only next time, you will pay for what I've lost….

So…what'cha thimk? R&R please!!! 


	4. Discovery

DISCLAIMER: I think you know what it is…her 'discovery' is dedicated to Morty's girl

DISCLAIMER: I think you know what it is…her 'discovery' is dedicated to Morty's girl

I sat in the dark train; hood pulled over my head, wallowing in my misery. I couldn't stop thinking of poor Andre, dying to save me from Sabertooth. His last breath used to keep me safe. _I shouldn't have become a friend to him. I shouldn't have come back to the docks with that…demon after me. If I hadn't come back, he'd still be alive. Still enjoying the ocean breezes. _I watched as a little old lady come down the train's aisle, from out of no where. _Where did she come from? _I thought. She was slightly stooped in the back, and had a long shawl over her head that hide her face in the dark. She and I were the only ones in this part of the train. I had made sure that no one was in this compartment._ All that work down the drain._ She kept walking towards me, past the forth and fifth seat, closer and closer to my seat. I pulled my hood up, giving her no chance to see what I look like. She stopped beside me. "Is anyone sitting here?" she asked in a feeble voice, as she came upon where I was sitting. "No ma'am. You can sit here if you want." I answered. She sat down, and fluffed her skirt around her ankles, and fiddled with her shawl, all the while I was wishing she would be still, because she kept bumping into me. I was afraid she would feel my skin, and freak out.

"How are you feeling today? Or should I say tonight?" she asked after a few minutes of fiddling with everything around her. "I'm alright, I guess." I answered, not really in the mood for talking_. I must have a aura of gloom around me,_ I thought with the most humor I had had that evening. She looked at me, nodding, as if she could understand what I had been through, and how much I had lost. _Well, you never know. Maybe she has lost someone she loved, too. _I watched her out of the corner of my eye. She sat quietly, her eyes glazed over, as if drifting into her own land of memories. _I guess she's not in the mood to talk either._ I turned to look out the window, and saw an empty field, looking washed out and dead by the silver light of the moon. I tried to imagine the giant field alive and green with corn in the summer heat. But it just wasn't happening. This field was as dead as the glorious mood I was in earlier today.

"Something on your mind?" the old lady asked. I had forgotten she was there, and my heart jumped a little.

"I find it hard to believe that you are feeling okay," she said. "After all, you've gone through a horrible experience today." I shot a glance at her, a bit worried now. "What do you mean?" I asked slowly. I was on my guard now, and ready to run if the need be. _She can't possibly know, can she?_ "Well, you haven't forgotten your loss already, have you?" She asked; her voice becoming less feeble, stronger with each breath she took. My own breathing was coming faster, my heart beating quicker as fear infiltrated my system. My blood pounding in my ears, I asked her, voice trembling slightly, "Who are you?" The last ting I needed was to have another encounter. I held my breath, anticipating her answer. She looked me full in the eye, staring into the depths of my soul, eyes burning in some unknown emotion. "I know what you are. You know what you are. You aren't considered normal, by usual human standards, are you," She started softly. "No, you're considered a freak of nature, an error in the body's DNA. But you and I know better, don't we? We know that you and I are just the next stage in the evolution of man. You and I are the future of man! But why do men fear us? They fear what they do not understand. Fear is what makes man despise you, hunt you and punish you for what you are, someone that you can't help being. But now we won't hide in the shadows, oh no, not anymore. We will revel in the glory of the sun, and punish those that banished us to the shadows, and make them pay for what they put every one of our kind through! But first, we must join together. We can't take them all alone. We need all the help we can get, from everyone that will give it to us. We shall show man who is the true ruler of this planet! Will you join me, and help every person like us live the normal life they were destined for?" she ended with in a whisper. She had been building up to the point that I thought she would explode from her emotion, but she gently eased away like the tide leaving the beach after the wave crashed against the shore. She watched me, but I betrayed no emotion. I had learned a poker face early in life, knowing it would come into good use.

I thought over what she had so emotionally spoken of and wondered how she knew what I was. I pulled my hood up closer around my face out of habit, only to hear her cackle and pull it back, fully exposing my gator-like qualities. "How do I know that you are truly like me?" I asked. She was completely normal to me, nothing giving her away as being abnormal. She looked at me, and held out her hand. I looked at it, expecting her to do something, like prove to me that she is 'one of my kind'. "I won't bite." She replied, a bit impatiently. "Why should I trust you? You don't even look like 'my kind'!" I said, fear turning anger. _Why does this woman want me? What is so special about me, anyway? Why am I being hunted by all of these weirdoes?_ I thought. She gave me an analyzing look and then made up her mind about…something. I sat there, stupefied as I watched her undergo an amazing transformation, from old woman, to a blue skinned young woman, with a white dress and skulls around her waist. "Do you believe me now?" she asked. I stared at her, mouth hanging open. "Will you trust me, or are you alone in your mission?" she said sarcastically. I got out of my seat and said, "Where are we going?" 

I got off the train the next day, hood carefully hiding my alligator like features, trailing behind Mystique. She had changed into a woman, about in her thirties, wearing a business suit. I had learned the night before that she was the co-leader of the Brotherhood of Mutants, a small group of 'gifted students'. And every one of them was a boy. I wasn't too happy about hearing this, but they were the only ones out there that I knew of that were like me, and I wasn't going to just leave them because they were boys. Besides, maybe there is a girl, besides Mystique, out there, waiting to be found. Just like myself. And I had nowhere else to go. 

There was two boys waiting for us as we left the train. Mystique spoke to them quite sharply, asking them where the other two were. I stood to the side, unnoticed, watching the three of them interact, trying to understand where each of them stood by power. It was clear to see that Mystique was the true leader of this group, by how the boys seemed to cower beneath her. One didn't seem to cower as much below Mystique as the other. He had white hair, and seemed to be really athletic. The other, which seemed to almost shrink under Mystique's gaze, was a sort of ugly boy with horrible posture, and a cowlick. He had a…distinct odor about him. I stood as far away from him as I could. I was getting really bored, and I considered walking of to check what all was in the train station. Plus, I was tired already of hearing Mystique nag. I decided against it, thinking she would only nag to me about everything that bothered her. _I hope she isn't always like this…_ I heard her stop talking to the boys and turned to face her, seeing that see was motioning me to come here. I walked slowly, not knowing what to expect. " This is our new member. She has joined us in our fight against mankind. And the X-men." She turned, to me, and said, "this is two of your fellow mutants. This is Pietro Maximoff," She said, pointing to the white haired boy, " and this is Todd Tolensky." She said, gesturing at the other boy. I saw them look me up and down, and glance at each other. Todd asked, "Are you a girl or boy?" Pietro elbowed him in the ribs, and he grunted. I smiled, and changed my skin to normal human. "Does this answer your question?" I said, pulling back my hood. I saw Todd's jaw drop, but tried to ignore his unique reaction. "There were supposed to be two more boys here, but they've gone somewhere instead of following my orders to stay put! So we'll be leaving without them." She said angrily. _ This is going to be a fun day_ I thought sarcastically. 

Sooooo what do ya think? R&R please!!!! 


	5. 

Disclaimer: think really hard…

Disclaimer: think really hard…

I was sitting in the back of the car, beside Pietro and Todd, looking out of the window, watching the hundreds of buildings passing by. The car was taking me to where I would be staying while I was in this town. We pulled up in front of pretty fair apartments on the farther side of the city. It was near a park, and wasn't as dirty as most were. It seemed to be well kept up. I opened the door, climbed out, and turned towards Mystique, who had gotten out of the passenger seat, to get further instructions. She was digging around in her pockets, looking for something. "Here." She said, handing me a key. I assumed that it was the key to my room. I took it and listened as she explained what I had to do the next morning. 

" You need to wake up around 6:00 and be out here at 8:00. We'll pick you up and start your training as soon as we can. You won't be going to school because of your appearance, unlike the others. You will train for most of the day, and we'll continue until we think your ready to survive on your own, until the time comes and we'll need you. Sometimes, we'll clash with Xavier's kids, so be alert. The X-men won't have a chance once we discover and train you with your power." She grinned at that thought, and climbed back in the car. I watched silently as the car turned onto the main road. 

I watched all of my future teammates drive off. Somehow, being with them made me nervous. As if all of them were a time bomb, just waiting to go off. I already thought that Mystique was sort of nutty. I sighed, looked at the number written on my key, and headed to my apartment, ready to settle in and make it home. _Home…that's the first time I've been able to say that about anything or anywhere. This is going to take some getting used to. I need to buy some new clothes. I'll have to ask Mystique for money._

"Concentrate!" Sabertooth yelled. I used all of the power I could muster to destroy the brick in front of me. I fueled my anger, my hate of my teacher, in to destroying the object in front of me. Slowly, the brick formed a huge crack in the middle. I started to tremble from exhaustion, my body slowly losing energy as I poured it into this one goal. _Explode! Turn into dust! Do something! _I yelled at the brick in my mind. I could feel my body start to shut down, trying to rest. My vision became fuzzy, an sweat ran into my eyes. I tried not to blink, but my eyes were burning. But I was so close! The brick started to shake, crumbling into dust. I blinked just as the brick exploded. It was now turned into thousands of pieces all over the floor. I collapsed, my body exhausted, but I had done it. I sat in a chair, panting and wiping the sweat off of my face. 

"Very well done. You can rest for now." Sabertooth grumbled. I glared at his back as he turned away. _I hate you, you miserable excuse for a Homo superior. _He walked away, closing the door leading into the observation room behind him. I knew that I was done for today. I got out of the chair and walked on wobbly legs back to the rest room. I had to go to a class, being taught by Mystique, because I couldn't go to school. She taught me about the normal things that you'd find being taught in a normal school. But some of the things she taught were the theories on why man was suddenly being born with amazing capabilities. Magneto, the main brain behind the Brotherhood of Mutants, had a few theories on why so many people were born with special abilities. His main one was that we were the future of mankind. We were the evolution of man, _Homo Superior. _I had never thought of it like that, and thought it a pretty accurate guess as to why things like this were happening. I talked to Pietro and Todd a lot. They were the ones that really filled me in on Magneto and the X-men. I found out that I didn't really like most of the things they told me about these X-men. I was curious about what made them mutants, so I had asked all of them what they could do. And I was surprised by some of them. Pietro was very athletic because he can run _extremely_ fast. He keeps in shape mostly because of it. His codename was Quicksilver. Todd had a long tongue, and strong back legs for making frog-like jumps. His codename was Toad. I thought it suited him perfectly. The other two, that had to walk home from the train station, were Lance and Fred. Lance could control the ground and could destroy things by stomping his foot. Fred was very strong, and could survive major impact with even the likes of a car. He was also very overweight. His codename was the Blob. It suited him, also. 

I hung out with them most of the time. I had no one else, and it was to lonely up at that empty apartment of mine. I know I had grown up mostly on my own. But hey, if they're there, why not take advantage of the opportunity. I smiled at my…unusual theory, and walked over to the couch where all of the guys were sitting, playing video games. Or I should say Lance and Pietro were playing games, while Todd was watching. I didn't know where Fred was, probably in the Kitchen, getting a 'snack'. I sat beside Todd, and was surprised that his odor wasn't as pungent today. _Did he finally get a shower?_ I thought. I thought it would be kind of rude to ask, so I kept my big mouth shut. I turned my attention to the game, and asked no one in particular, "Who's winning?" Surprisingly enough, Lance answered "Me." Usually, he wouldn't let anything disturb his playing the game. I egged Pietro on for a while only to see him losing more, then got bored and went to turn on the TV. I was flipping through the channels, when out of nowhere, Todd grabbed the remote with his tongue. I glared at him and said, "I got it first, frog boy. Hand it over!" He stuck out his tongue and held the remote out to me. I lunged at it, but he moved to quickly for me. He jumped on to the ceiling, and grinned down at me. I put my hands on my hips, and sighed, annoyed. "Dude, give me the remote." I growled. "Come and get it gator girl." He said. I saw slime fall from the remote on to the floor. I wrinkled my nose, and replied, "Never mind. You can keep it." 

**__**

*In the observation room*

"How's she doing?" Mystique asked, when Sabertooth entered the room. Her back was to Sabertooth, and she was monitoring the cameras that were placed all over the Brotherhood's house. She turned around, and glared at him. "She will become extremely powerful, once her powers are developed. She may even be one of the most powerful mutants on earth."

-**_So that's why Magneto wanted her…- _**Mystique thought. To Sabertooth, she asked, " What do you mean, could be one of the most powerful mutants?" 

He answered, "If she is riled up enough, or someday gets complete control over her powers, she could be capable of creating explosions that only match an atomic bomb." This shocked Mystique. **_– Someday, she could destroy almost half of the world's population. –_ **

"The X-men will never know what hit them!" she laughed.

**__**

What do ya think? R&R please!!!!


	6. 

Sorry if I mess up some of the characters

Sorry if I mess up some of the characters. I have only seen a few episodes, and haven't seen much on how the Brotherhood acts. Also, I kinda left Blob out of this one. Sorry if you're a big fan of Blob!.

DISCLAIMER: take a wild guess…

I had been training with Sabertooth for two months now, and had gained better control over my powers. I no longer had to struggle to destroy a brick, thank god. I was up to destroying a football field now. I could create quite a bit of havoc if the need be. I could also stay in human form longer. I could stay in it for four hours now. I was just returning from shopping at the mall, (I had had finally gotten some new clothes.). I opened the door to my apartment and was walking through the kitchen, when I heard someone knocking on my door. "Hold on a minute. I'll be there in a second!" I yelled._ Who could it be?_ I wondered. The only people that came to my apartments were Mystique and some of the guys; (occasionally) I put my shopping bags down in the bedroom. I walked to the door, and peeped through the little hole. _Todd?_ I thought confused. I opened the door and was greeted by his unusual odor. _At least it isn't as pungent as when I first met him,_ I thought. I grinned at him and asked, "You wanna come in?" He nodded, and hopped into my hallway. He hopped on to the couch and sat there, staring at me. I sat in an opposite chair. We sat in silence for a few moments before I asked, "Why are you here? Not that I mind you coming over, it's just odd that you wouldn't have anyone else with you." He kind of blushed, took a deep breath, and said quickly, "Well, I volunteered to ask you if you wanted to come with me and the other guys to crash a costume party. One of the cheerleaders at school is throwing it, but, hey, everyone who is anyone is invited. And we are certainly anyone," he ended with a grin. I nodded. "Sure. Could be fun, plus I might get to check out these 'dreaded' X-men everyone constantly talks about." I looked at the clock above the couch, and asked, "When is it?" "Tonight" he responded, bouncing off the couch. "Me and the guys will pick you up at 6, ok?" "Gotcha," I said, wondering what I was going to do for a costume. I wasn't going to try and pull off my gator skin trick again. You couldn't blame me for not learning from past mistakes. I walked to my room to try and find something to wear.

Five hours later, I had added some alterations to my hooded cape. I had fixed it so that it showed my body better. I had also put a sheer black cloth in front of my face, so that no one could accidentally see it. I pulled on some light gloves, so my hands wouldn't show. I pulled on some strappy sandals, and put my bell anklet around my ankle. I walked to my mirror, and critically inspected my handiwork. _Works for me!_ I headed to my room to try and clean up some of the mess I had made. A couple of minutes later, I heard a horn honking. _Sounds like the guys are here…_ I did a mental check, trying to remember if I had forgotten something. I hurried out of the door, Lance honking the horn five times in a row. "Lance! I'm not the only one living here, ya know!" I yelled. I heard loud music blasting from the open window, and Pietro's head stuck out. "Hurry up!" he yelled. "Bite me!" I yelled back, taking as much time walking as slowly as I could. Lance honked the horn again, and I walked faster. _All I need now is to be evicted, _I thought. I climbed in the back, and we sped off around the corner, with Lance scaring the crap out of me with every turn he took. "Where's Fred?" I asked/ "He didn't wanna go. He said he had more important things ta do." Lance yelled. Todd tapped me on the shoulder. "Great costume!" he yelled over the music. Marilyn Manson or something was playing, so I figured it was Lance's CD. "Thanks," yelled back. Suddenly, I shrieked as Lance pulled a tight right turn, and I slammed into the car door, Todd falling on top of me. "Lance!" I yelled "Think you could try NOT to kill me today?!" He laughed, and I slapped him on the side of the head. "Ouch! What was that for?!" He cried. I rolled my eyes, and tried to brace myself for his next turn. 

I somehow managed to live through that drive over to the party. _I can't wait until the ride back, _I thought sarcastically, getting out of the car. I walked behind the guys up to the vibrating house. Pietro opened the door, and we were nearly blown away by the music. The place was rocking, hundreds of neon lights were lit, and lots of couples were on the couches, making-out. Lot's of people were dancing in the strobe lighted living room. This place had a million things to see! I stuck close to the guys, who had on masks to hide who they were. Since it was cheerleader throwing it, they knew they would be thrown out if they were caught. The Lance and Todd walked off to mingle, and Pietro headed off to dance. I followed suit. He entered the suffocating crowds, and was lost to me in a second. I watched how other people were dancing, and just let go. I danced for a long time. The music never stopped, and neither did I. After two hours, I crawled through the many bodies of the crowd, trying to get a glass of punch. I spotted the punch bowl in the kitchen, and grabbed a glass. At home, I had practiced getting drink through the cloth, and had gotten pretty good at it. I made sure no one was in the kitchen (Because someone would think it mighty odd if I drank it through the cloth, instead of taking my hood off.) and drank it down fast. I hurried back to the dance floor, only to hear the strains of a slow song wafting through the halls. Some of the couples that were making-out left there spots to dance. I slowed to a strolling walk, looking for Todd or Lance. I didn't like not having anyone I knew around, so checked most of the rooms downstairs for them. _Nothing_, I thought. I walked back to the dance floor, just to watch the couples dancing. I stood next to the wall, humming to the music. It was a KC and JoJo song. Crazy, I think. I had heard it on the radio a couple of times. I saw out of the corner of my eye, that someone was walking towards me, and turned when they started to talk to me. "Vould you like to dance?" he asked. _Odd accent…_ It was a guy about my age, in a pirate costume. He looked hilarious. He even had a little I patch on, that was currently placed high on his forehead. I smiled through my cloth and said, "Sure." He grinned and we walked out to the edges of the dance floor. My hands circled his neck and his my waist. We rocked to the beat for a few minutes, before he asked, "What's your name?" I contemplated on fibbing, but figured it wouldn't do any harm to tell him my real name. "My name's Carmen." I said. He looked confused, and said, "Carmen? I don't zink I have met you before. My name's Kurt Vagnor." "Nice to meet you." I answered. _His name sounds familiar…. Where have I heard it before?_ We continued to dance in silence, when I saw Todd come in the room. He looked around, searching for someone. Kurt had his back to him, and he saw me dancing. I waved, but he didn't wave back. In fact, his eyes widened in shock, and he walked away, a giant frown on his face. I turned my attention back to Kurt, but I was still confused._ What did I do? He doesn't expect me not to dance, does he?_ I thought. _What was going on with him, anyway?_

R&R please!! I live off of your feed back! 


	7. The Accusation

Disclaimer: You should know by now

Disclaimer: You should know by now. This one is also partly Morty's girl's idea. Thanks a bunch!!

That basically how the rest of the party went. I danced most of the time, and tried to forget the face Todd had made. I had the best time ever there. I made a couple of new friends. Lance came and found me and Pietro three hours later, and we rode home in relative silence (Lance's CD was still playing, though). I hopped out when we reached my apartment building, and waved good-bye. I was happy that we were back. My feet were killing me! I tool off my sandals and cape, and got ready for bed.

I woke up the next day to the soft music of Faith Hill. I was happy that I didn't have such a rude awaking as the other day. Metallica woke me up. I was not a happy camper. I hopped in the shower to wake me up and got dressed. I stuffed down some cereal, changed my skin and headed out the door to go train with, and I shudder here, Sabertooth. I stood there for ten minutes, checking out the park next to me. I could faintly here the shrieks and laughter of children. I took a few steps closer, and peered through the foliage. I saw two kids, one looked to be five, the other two. They were screaming and giggling, and running from someone. Suddenly, a woman that was blindfolded came walking through the clearing. "I'm going to get you!" she called out to the two kids. My heart grew heavy. _I wish I had had a mom like that._ I thought sadly. I turned around quickly, hearing the car pull up to the curb.

I walked out of the training room, wiping away the sweat from my forehead. I went to unwind my strained muscles, and hang out with the guys. Once again, Lance and Pietro were playing video games. I sat on the couch, and was confronted by Todd. He gave me a very hurt look, almost as if I had betrayed him. "What? What did I do?!" I said. Lance and Pietro turned around and stared at Todd and me. "You know. How could ya do that! You danced with Nightcrawler! You made friends with one of the X-men!!" he yelled. I was getting angry at his accusations. _It's not like it's my fault!_ "How was I supposed to know he was Nightcrawler! I've never met the guy before!" I argued. "We've told you his name before. I'm sure he introduced himself!" Lance said. I glared at him, and turned back to Todd. "You only told me his real name once. You referred to him the rest of the time as Nightcrawler." I growled. "Well, didn't you feel his fur? He only looks human, he doesn't feel human." Pietro piped up. I turned my golden eyes on him. "I was wearing gloves." I said scoffingly. He gave a 'sorry' look, and continued his video game. I turned my attention back to Todd. "I honestly didn't know it was him! And I'm sorry I danced with him. It's not like I married him or something, jeez!" I said, turning to stare back to the video game. Todd and I sat in silence for a good while. "I'm sorry I jumped on your back. I was just kinda worried…" he said, looking strait ahead. I looked at him, and smiled. _Little Toadies got a secret, huh?_ "Worried? About what?" I teased. He blushed and looked at me out of the corner of his eye. "Umm…well…." He stuttered. I grinned and stood up. "I guess I need to head home. See you guys later." I said. I bent down and kissed Todd's head, and headed out of the door. I could feel his staring eyes follow me out of the door.

Awww…ain't it sweet! Newayz, R&R please


	8. Introducing Carmen

DISCLAIMER: You know what it is

DISCLAIMER: You know what it is.

We all were headed towards the mountains three weeks later. Magneto had decided that I needed to try out my powers, to a larger scale. He was planning on me practicing at an abandoned construction site. Todd, Lance, Pietro, Fred, Mystique and I were riding up to the mountainous region, and hopefully would not be disturbed. When we reached the site I saw that we would not get to it right now, so I went off into the woods surrounding it to check out the sites. I wasn't gone for two minutes when I heard many voices, more than had come up here with us, coming from the construction site. I changed into my human skin, and walked slowly towards the site. I stayed out of view, hiding behind bushes and such. I peered through the foliage, trying to see what was going on. I saw, what I assumed were the X-men, getting ready to push us off of the site. My blood started to boil then. I climbed a tree, trying to hear what was being said. "You can't do this. It's wrong! You could hurt hundreds of people!" a red head in spandex was whining. I assumed she was Jean. Lance had told me about her before. _Hurt hundreds of people? What is she talking about? I'm only going to trash this abandoned site, not try to kill anyone!_ "Yes! And we won't let you endanger so many innocent lives for nothing!" a white haired black lady yelled. _And you must Storm…_

I heard Mystique say something, but it was lost to me. She was on the other side of the construction site from. I grinned, and hung down from a limb with my feet and hands wrapped around it. Mystique glanced at me, and I waved. She smiled and turned back to face Storm. "It won't be so easy for you to stop us this time," she said slyly, "Because we have a new member with us. We came up all this way to show you her powers. Isn't that right Carmen?" she said sweetly. While she had been talking, I had climbed out of the tree and was walking towards the X-men's backs. I ginned and tapped Cyclops I think, on the shoulder. He turned around, and opened his mouth wide in surprise. The others saw his movement, and repeated it. All except for Storm, who was better at masking her emotions than the others. "Who are you?" The Goth girl, Rogue, asked. "You weren't paying attention, Rogue? Well, I suppose you wouldn't. After all, you need to keep up your rebelistic image." I answered coolly. Her eyes narrowed at me, but looked away. No one but Todd was ever really capable of looking me in the eyes for very long. Gold eagle eyes aren't the most endearing color. I asked politely, "Could you please move so I can get by?" The others were so shocked by me, they actually moved. I smiled and passed through them, over towards Mystique and the others. "When I give the signal, attack them." Mystique whispered to us. "Ready…go!" she yelled. I charged at who I assumed was Kitty, since the others had told me she was one of the weaker fighters. She phased right through me, but I was expecting that, and turned around and kicked her in the back. She went face first on the ground. I heard a gasp from one of the nearby X-men. I had let my concentration slip, and I was once again in my gator skin. I turned to see who it was, and grinned at them. Jean was the one who had seen me first, and was horrified by my teeth. I don't really blame her. My teeth are pretty scary looking. I heard someone coming up behind me and did a back flip to avoid him from restraining me. I turned around and made the little rocks around Scott's feet explode. I laughed as he tried to avoid from stepping on them. I turned to see who my next victim would be. I cried out as my feet left the ground involuntarily. Jean was using her powers, and had lifted me off of the ground about three feet. I yelled at her "Put me down!" She just kept staring at me, keeping me off of the ground. I looked behind her, and saw Todd jump on her back. She through me back, and I hit Scott knocking him down. "Look out!" I heard Lance yell. I looked up and saw a giant boulder heading straight towards me. I felt someone's arms wrap around my waist and pull me out of the way of the boulder. I screamed when it hit the ground near my feet. I looked up to see who had saved me, and was surprised to see it was Scott. I looked him straight in the eyes. A million questions were running through my mind, the most frequent one was _why did he do it_? _Why did he save me. _He moved away from me, and Jean ran up to him almost frantically asking him if he was all right. Todd was behind me, trying to help me off of the ground. "Are YOU all right?" he said worriedly. I smiled and nodded my head. "Nearly being crushed to death really takes it out of you, though." We turned to leave, but just before we left, I called out "Hey Scott!" he turned to face me. "Thanks…for saving my life." He nodded, and I turned to head back to the car. _What a day. I hope things like this don't happen too often._ _I owe Summers my life. _

Please R&R! I don't know if I should continue this. Also, any suggestions are very welcome 


	9. Emotions

DISCLAIMER: you know, so why say it

DISCLAIMER: you know, so why say it?

We all were tired after the fight, and I went straight to bed after I got home. But suprisingly enough, I couldn't go to sleep. All I could think about is Scott risking his life to save me. His enemy. Why didn't Pietro save me? He was fast enough to grab me and get out of there before the boulder hit. I suddenly felt very lonely. I couldn't depend on my teammates to help me out in a situation like that? I got out of bed, no longer tired. In fact, I was wide-awake. I walked around my apartment for an hour, but sleep was a long time coming. I finally grabbed my cape and opened my door to take a walk outside. I walked in a daze around Bayville for two hours, thinking about everything and nothing, not really paying attention to where I was going. An occasional tear would fall down my cheek every once and a while. I finally snapped out of my daze and found myself walking through unknown woods. _Oh, this is just great, _I thought. I stopped moving and listened to see if I could hear anything, such as cars or music or TV's. I listened for a couple of minutes, but heard nothing. I tried to retrace my steps, but it was almost impossible in the partial moonlight. So I just walked through the trees, hoping that I would come across a familiar road. I walked for thirty minutes before I came across a large iron fence. _Maybe if I follow this fence, I'll be able to figure out where I am,_ I thought. I walked along beside the fence, and soon was out of the trees. I stood next to the gate leading to a great mansion. _Wonder who lives there…_I thought about checking it out, but I was too tired to investigate my curiosity. I walked down the road, hoping I would be able to navigate my way home.

I woke the next morning, feeling exhausted. Millions of thoughts strained to catch my attention, all at once. All of the loneliness and pain I had felt the night before surfaced again as I went about my normal activities. There would be no training today, so I decided to take a little time off from being hardcore. I decided to check out the park I lived next to, as I had never gone in it before. 

I spent the rest of my day there, just wondering around, watching the moms and their kids run about. Every once and a while I would see a starry eyed couple pass, enjoying the cool autumn day. I went out to get something to eat for breakfast, and passed by some of Xavier's kids playing around in the arcade. I couldn't help over hearing some of their conversation. "I can't wait until, like, we get to go to the ski resort." I heard Kitty say. "Yeah. I'm gonna go flying down those hills" I heard Evan yell at her from playing a very violent game against Kurt. _Boys…._ I thought to myself. Jean and Scott weren't with them, and Rogue was on the other side of the room, sulking about…something. I didn't know what.

I walked away, in a lighter mood than when I first woke up. _A ski resort, huh? Mystique will be quite pleased with this news._ I walked away, whistling. 


	10. The Ski Resort

DISCLAIMER: I do not own X-men

DISCLAIMER: I do not own X-men. But you knew that, didn't you?

I reported the news of the X-men's ski trip to Mystique, and for a little while I was her favorite person. "We shall finally terminate those blasted X-men!" she cackled madly. "Tell the others to get packing. We're are going to the Catskills!" I ran off to give the guys the news. I found Pietro and Todd betting on who could burp the loudest. Todd won. Lance was trying to get buff. (Which I thought was really funny,) and Fred was chowing down. I told them the news and got several cheers. Todd grabbed me and spun me around. I tried to yell at him to put me down, but I was laughing too hard. He finally put me down, and I sat on the couch, to dizzy to really move. "Wait a minute," I heard Lance say, "Mystique never just let's us go on vacation. There is gotta be some catch, here." I looked him straight in his eyes, and he turned away. "Yes, Lance. There is a catch. The X-men are going to the ski resort also. Mystique thinks this will finally be our chance to rid them of our lives forever." I said, rubbing my temples. I suddenly had a major headache. I heard him grumble to himself, and the others returned to what they were doing. I hung out for a little while, and at twelve I went out for lunch, Todd coming with me.

"Is everyone got everything?" Mystique asked. We were getting ready to leave for the resort, and were all piling in the car. "Yeah, yeah. It's all here." Pietro yelled. I sat between Pietro and Todd, Lance sat next to Pietro, Fred sat up in the next seat, and Sabertooth and Mystique sat up front. I was mad that Sabertooth was coming, and didn't talk much on the way up there. As soon as we stopped, I hopped out and untied one of the snowmobile on the trailer behind us. Magneto had given us a lot of money (hoping that would encourage us not to screw up), and all the guys and I could agree on was two snowmobiles. I pulled it off of the trailer, and cranked it up. I pulled up beside the door and yelled over the noise, "Who's up for a bit of fun?" Pietro beat Todd to the back of mine, and we took of down the mountain. After a few minutes I heard another snowmobile behind us, and turned around to see Lance and Todd catching up. I gave it a bit of gas and took of to the resort. We were racing down the main road to the lodge, when we saw the X- men's car. I heard Pietro mutter in my ear, "Who's up for a little fun?" I laughed, and motioned for Lance and Todd to slow down. I pointed out the convertible, and without saying a word, we all went off to look for Mystique and Sabertooth.

The sun was setting, and it was snowing slightly. We were all playing around in the snow, throwing snowballs and pushing each other over, when we heard voices over the hill. I changed to my human skin, and Todd, Lance, Pietro, and I ran to hide in a small group of pine trees. "That was fun!" I heard someone yell. "Yeah. I loved beating you, Scott!" I heard a feminine voice call out. _Looks like we've found them…_"Come on Jean, I beat you by a mile!" Scott yelled. I turned to the others, and whispered to Pietro, "Go get Mystique and Sabertooth. Tell them we've found them." He took off and was back in a couple of seconds. "They got it and are coming as fast as they can." I nodded and watched them through the branches. Jean and Scott were the first to come into sight, and they were playfully arguing over who won a race. I heard some branches rustling and saw Sabertooth and Mystique come crashing through. "Get out of the way," I heard Sabertooth growl, pushing me out of the way. I bumped into Todd who helped steady me. I glared at Sabertooth, but a sudden shout caught my attention. Kitty came running over the hill, Evan and Kurt chasing and throwing snowballs at her. I started shaking from laughter, because Kurt had thrown a snowball at Kitty. Kitty had ducked at the last minute, and the snowball hit Scott in the back of the head. Logan was the last to come over the hill. I turned my attention back to what was going on in the patch of trees, because Mystique was quietly whispering instructions. " Okay, what we're going to do is Carmen, you are going to go over that hill," she paused here, pointing to a large snow bank to the left, "and you are going to scream as loud as you can. Sabertooth will follow you, and chase you around until the X-men come. Do not leave that area. They will investigate the screaming, and see Sabertooth chasing you. Logan will try to stop him, and we'll sneak up on the others. Do not let the catch you, any of you. Is everyone clear? Alright then, go to your positions." I started to leave when I heard her call out, "Here, take these." She held out some ski goggles, and I pulled them on. I snuck around behind the X-men's backs, and ran down the hill. I heard Sabertooth lumbering behind me. I turned around to see him go sliding down the freshly fallen snow. _Show-off,_ I thought. He landed almost gracefully at the bottom, and as soon as he turned to me, I let out a blood-curdling scream. He lunged at me and I darted out of the way. His claws came three inched within cutting my neck. "This isn't real. Your not really supposed to try and kill me!" I hissed at him. "Just making it believable," he growled. I tried to avoid his claws and teeth, but I wasn't quick enough. He pushed me face down. I turned on my back just to see him raise his claws, ready to slice my chest open. I put my arm up in futile protection, waiting for the blow. But it never came. He was thrown back against a tree by Wolverine. I screamed and crab-walked as far as I could out of the way. _For once Mystique, your plan is working out,_ I thought. I got to my feet, and walked out of view. I watched the to men battle it out, and saw Mystique and the others sneaking up behind the other X-men. All hell broke loose afterward. Confusion and racing bodies, flowing sweat and pumping adrenaline. This was an all out war, and I was enjoying every minute of it. I had just pushed Kitty in the snow when I noticed Scott trying to hit Pietro with his force beam. Jean saw what he was trying to do, and held Pietro high above the ground. I lunged at jean, making her drop Pietro, and then jumped on Scott. He went down, and I put my hands up to his face. My knees were holding his arms down, so he couldn't reach his glasses and hit me. I heard all of the noise around me stop, and looked up to see everyone watching us. "This is your chance to prove yourself to everyone. Kill him," I heard Mystique call out. I looked down at Scott, and looked into his glasses. I could faintly see the outline of his eyes. I looked at him, the doubt finally surfacing. _What am I doing? He is my enemy! I should have killed him already!_ But a memory of him saving me flashed in my mind._ I was his enemy, and he saved me. There is something about him, about all of the X-men that the Brotherhood doesn't posses. Mercy on the innocent. Why am I doing this? Why?_ I bit my bottom lip, trying to figure out what I should do. Time seemed to stop, and the only thing moving was the snow that fell on top of my head. "What are you waiting for?!" I heard Sabertooth yell. I raised my hand to his forehead, getting ready to make his brain explode. My fingers were shaking. I felt, rather then saw, Scott brace himself. _I can't do it…I can't kill my enemy. _"How did you do this to me?" I whispered into Scott's ear. He opened his eyes wide in surprise, as I stood up over him. All of the air was knocked out of me as Sabertooth threw me against a tree. "How dare you defy me!" eh yelled. I tried to escape, but he clawed my throat before I could get away. I ran away, knowing I would be welcome no longer within the Brotherhood. I was on my own, bleeding and cold. What was I going to do now?

Please R&R! 


	11. Rescue

DISCLAIMER: you know it, I know it, and the world knows it

DISCLAIMER: you know it, I know it, and the world knows it. Why bother?

The slight snowfall had turned into a snowstorm. I wondered around out in the cold weather, slowly bleeding. My mind was growing fuzzy from the blood loss, and the tears I had held back for so long finally spilled over. _There was no hope that the Brotherhood would ever take me back. I had failed my friends, my family_. The only ones who had cared for me. I shivered continuously, the snow that had melted turning into ice again. I sat against the truck of a tree and let my fading mind ponder over useless trivia. One question spun continually around my mind. _Why did I let him go? Why couldn't I kill him_? I couldn't concentrate on anything else. Nothing else made sense to me but these questions and the feeling of my life slipping like sand through my fingers. My madness faded into anger. _This is all Scott's fault. If he hadn't saved me, I wouldn't be in this mess. I could have killed him. Why does the guilt have to come at the worst time? I don't need this. I-I can get out of this problem. I've lived on my own before. I can live without anyone. I can make it through this, if I don't bleed to death first._ I sat in the snow, freezing and bleeding when I heard footsteps through the snow. "Here she is." I heard a familiar voice grunt. _Wolverine…_ I tried to stand and get away from him, but my head started to spin as soon as I got to my feet. Nausea blew up in my stomach, and I slid back on to my butt. I couldn't stop shivering, though I tried to stand up and get away from him. I could feel my body shutting down as I lost the feeling in my fingers. "Whoa kid. Slow down, I'm not gonna hurt ya." I heard Logan say. I couldn't see very well. Everything was blurry, and things were getting darker. I was sure I was half mad because I heard myself whimper, "Logan, I can't see. Why is everything getting darker?" His face was a blur, and I could barely hear what he was saying. It was lost to the winter wind. How had it picked up without me noticing? I turned my attention back to the blur in front of me. He was calling out to someone else, but all I could hear was mumbling. "Logan, I'm so cold. What's happening to me? Am I dying?" He looked worried, and picked me up. Pain shot through my neck and back. I cried out into the night, and then blacked out.

I woke up in a white room. My head weighed a million pounds, and my back was stiff. My eyes hurt from the bright light. My eyes finally focused on the dark shape sitting in the corner. _Logan. What am I doing here? What happened? _The memories of…whenever I was attacked flooded back to me. I felt my neck wound, and felt bandages wrapped around it. I sat up quietly, trying not to wake Logan. _Good. He's sound asleep._ I climbed off of the bed and looked for some way to escape. I saw a window to the right of my bed and opened it as quietly as I could. I was halfway out when my eyes drifted to Logan's sleeping form. _You owe them a lot. You need to find away to pay them back,_ my conscience scolded. I sighed heavily and climbed back in. _You have to show up now?_ I searched my pockets for anything I could give, and found twenty bucks. I laid it on the night table and looked for paper to write a thank you note on. After I found the paper and a pen, I left as quickly as I could. I knew the longer I stayed them more I risked. I jumped out the window and ran through the woods. I scaled the fence, and ran as quickly as I could back to my apartment. It was hours before I noticed I was still in human form. _But, I don't feel drained. I know I've been this way since Logan found me…what's going on? _I tried to turn back, but…but I couldn't. I-I couldn't do it. I was stuck in my human form…forever?

R&R please!!! 


	12. Little boys = Big trouble

DISCLAIMER: blah, blah, blah

DISCLAIMER: blah, blah, blah. 

I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed this story, and hope you continue. A great feeling it is to know that your stories are appreciated. 

Andrea 

I grabbed some bags out of the closet and hurriedly packed. The longer I waited here, the more risk I ran of being caught by the X-men, or even worse, by Sabertooth. I didn't know how long I had been out of it, so I had to lay low for a while. I packed all of my clothes, a first aid kit, and a lighter. I grabbed everything I thought would be useful, and headed out of the door. I wasn't sure where I was going, but I definitely wasn't staying here. I ran for most of the night, and by morning I was deep in the heart of some forest. I knew this wasn't a safe place to stop, because Sabertooth liked to hang around a place like this, but I was about to pass out from exhaustion. Being sick had weakened me. That wasn't good. I decided to rest for a while, and I just had to pray Sabertooth wouldn't show up, or I was dead meat. I heard my stomach growl, and realized that I hadn't eaten in I don't know when. I wasn't sure how I would get a meal, assuming I was miles away from town. _I guess I'll have to catch something, _I thought. I swung myself up onto a low branch, and pondered my situation. I sat there for a few minutes before I heard the crashing of branches off to my left. I climbed higher into the tree's foliage and sat as quietly as I could. There was no chance of escaping whatever it was, so I just sat there. I knew if that thing crashing through the bushes was Sabertooth, I was a goner. As the steps neared, I froze with anticipation. What was the thing coming closer and closer? I heard faintly the hum of human voices. 

I tried to pull my body as small as I could when they bursted through the clearing. "That sure is a big fish ya got there, Joe." One of the men said. I sighed quietly when the guys came into view. Three men, burping and scratching, were walking through the clearing towards, I assume, their campsite. _That is an awfully big fish…_I thought, _more than enough to feed all of them._ I quickly made up my mind to follow these guys, and if they left the campsite, 'borrow' part of their fish. My conscience couldn't handle the thought that I might be stealing. I guess it was just my bad luck that it decided to appear now, when I needed it least. I jumped from branch to branch, and tried jumping from tree to tree. I was lucky I didn't fall out. I guess hunger sharpens your agility, or something. I followed them until we arrived at their campsite. I sat at the edge of it, waiting. They moved inside and out of the tent, wondering out into the bushes, shouting the whole time. I waited for what seemed forever, but was probably just an hour, when they finally left the campsite for a swim. I made sure they were out of hearing range, and quietly slipped down the tree. I jumped from branch to branch, making sure every now and then that the guys didn't come back. I leaped the last couple of feet to the ground, and listened. _Not a sound,_ I thought. I walked as carefully as I could, trying not to make a sound, to their tent. Digging around in their tent was the dangerous part. If I got caught, lord knows what would happen. I couldn't hear any soft noise from outside, especially not footsteps. I looked around for the fish, when I noticed a small cooler in the corner, partially hidden under blankets. I pushed the blankets off, opened it, and dug around in the ice for the fish. It was at the bottom of cooler, and I dragged it out. I left the lid open, and trashed the campsite a little bit so that the guys would think an animal did it. I ran off to the edge of the trees and climbed up; wanting to get away before the unsuspecting men came back. I suffered from hunger for a few hours until the sun had set. The smoke from the fire would be less suspicious during the night, or so I hoped. I picked up a couple of twigs and began a fire with my lighter. An hour later, I was chowing down. _I could get used to this…_

I lived like that for a few weeks. Some days, campers would be scarce, so I'd have to go hungry for a while. I moved around a lot, knowing that settling in one position could get me killed. I was almost defenseless because I wasn't able to change back to my mutant form. I had tried several times, but it was hopeless. I was often scared by small noises at night. I never felt safe that entire time I was out there. You never knew when Sabertooth might choose this day to find me. I had created quite a reputation within the forest. The park rangers told everyone to be careful when leaving the campsite. 'Animals', meaning me, were becoming less afraid of humans. He couldn't tell what type of animal was creating all of the havoc yet, because it didn't follow the pattern of any animal he had seen. But there was no worry, the animal, whatever it was, has never attacked humans. I had to laugh at that. Me, a strange animal creating havoc at unsuspecting campsites. It sounded like a really corny campfire story. And just like any campfire story, the plot thickens. Just like my life…

It was almost lunchtime, and I had chosen a family of campers to 'borrow' from today. They had settled camp near a spot where lumberjacks were cutting down trees. I thought it an awfully bad place to camp, what with three kids and all. But it didn't matter too much. As long as they didn't go to far from camp, they were in no real danger. Their campsite was extremely busy. The father was setting up their tent; the mother was making the fire. Two of their oldest boys, who looked to be between eight and nine and were twins, were playing a game of cops and robbers. Their younger son, who looked about six, was watching. He really started getting into it as the one of the twins started to chase the other. He ran after them, and ran into the twin being chased. "Go away Skyler. You're just getting in the way!" He shouted. Skyler walked away, nearly in tears. I felt a bit sad for the little boy, but there was nothing I could do. He wondered off, looking back every once and a while, holding back tears. He picked up a stick and began to battle the twigs and such, and wondered further near the woods. I began to worry about him, because he was getting nearer and nearer to where trees were being cut down. I leaped nimbly from tree to tree, following him. His mother looked up just in time to see him walk through the trees. "Skyler, come back! You don't need to wonder off!" she called. But it was too late. He didn't hear her, and continued walking into the woods. She rolled her eyes and crossed the campsite to get him. As she passed the twins she said, "Travis, Jason, I told you to keep up with your little brother!" Jason, or Travis, I couldn't tell, turned around and gave her an unhappy look. "Come on mom. We keep up with him all the time. We wanna play now!" he said, and ran off to throw rocks at a squirrel. _Brats, _I thought. The mom sighed and continued to chase after Skyler. 

I watched him as he explored the trees and plants. A bird would screech every once and a while; he would circle around, looking for it and then turn back to his adventure. I smiled, amused at his innocence. _He's not afraid of the woods,_ I thought. _He doesn't seem to know how much trouble he could get in._ I heard the faint sounds of trees being cut down. I jumped ahead, trying to see how close he was getting to the site. He was only a couple of yards away! I thought fast, and whispered, "Skyler!" He turned around, looking for the body that belonged to the voice. "Skyler!" I whispered again. "Wh-who's there?" he stuttered, still looking for the person talking to him. His face was turned to the tree-tops, and I could see clearly how nervous he was "I'm your…conscience!" I whispered loudly. _No need to creep the kid out anymore, _I thought sarcastically. He smiled, seeming to accept that explanation. "Oh. Hello then!" he called. I smothered a giggle and whispered back, "Hi. You need to go back to the campsite now, ok?" He turned in a circle, still looking for me. "Why?" he asked. I smacked my forehead. _Children can be so difficult sometimes!_ I thought. "Because I said so!" I said. "You sound a lot like my mom." He said, and continued to walk. I started to panic, and called out frantically, "Well, I'm not. But she is looking for you. She's worried; you need to get back to her." He sighed, and turned around. "Ok," he said, and started to walk back. 

I had barely sighed in relief when I heard the distant cry of 'Timber' and saw the tree falling right towards Skyler. Without thinking, I jumped from my branch to the ground and grabbed Skyler, pushing him out of the way. He hit the ground and I covered him with my body. The tree landed only two feet away from us. We lay there, allowing the dust to settle. My knees hurt from the impact of me jumping so far to the ground, and my back was bruised from the giant limb that had landed right on top of me. I picked myself up, and asked quietly, "Are you okay Skyler?" He pushed his body up and said looking himself over, "Yeah. I'm fine, I think." He finally looked up, and I smiled. His eyes opened wide, and started to crawl away from me. 

I looked at him, confused. "What?" I said. I knew my eyes were an odd color, but it wasn't enough of an odd color to frighten people away. I looked down and saw scales. Green scales. I smiled and felt my face. Bumpy and rough. I had turned back into my mutant form! But why now? Why did it suddenly appear when I did something crazy? _Or when you did something good…_my conscience said. I frowned and turned my attention back to the boy. "It's alright, I won't hurt you." I said soothingly. "W-what are you?" he asked. I turned to face the tree, and pulled my legs up to my chest, trying to figure out how to say this without freaking him out. "Skyler!?" I heard a woman scream frantically, interrupting my thoughts. _Uh-oh, the mom. I had forgotten about her. _I stood up quickly and turned to him. "You need to go to your mom. I'm sure she is worried sick." Skyler frowned and asked, "Where's your mommy?" I smiled sadly and bent down so I could look him in the eye. "I don't have a mommy, Skyler. Not anymore. She left me a long time ago." I said. I turned to leave when I felt him grab my hand. "Wait! I'm sure my mommy will want to meet you!" he said. "I'm not so sure of that." I replied. Human confrontation, especially with an adult could be dangerous. I looked down at him and said, "Your mommy might be afraid of me. She might think I'll try to hurt you." He just smiled and said, "Then I'll tell her you saved me. She'll believe me." I heard a male voice join in with his mom. _Dads are always bad news. I gotta get outta here, fast! _I turned to him and said, "I can't stay. I don't think it's a very good idea. Be good now, bye." I smiled and leaped onto the fallen tree. But it was too late. The mother and father burst into the clearing, the father carrying a camera. I ran as quickly as I could, and prayed that they hadn't caught me on tape. 
    
    
    What do ya think? Should I stop? Is it getting boring? R&R!


	13. A Disturbing News Report

DISCLAIMER: I really hate these things

DISCLAIMER: I really hate these things. I do not own X-men evolution or the song "River Lullaby" from the Prince of Egypt soundtrack.

I tried to stay away from campsites with children after that…experience. Fear kept me away from that particular site for a good while. I was looking through one of the camper's windows, watching to see if they would be leaving, when a news report caught my attention. It showed amateur tape of the forest. I gasped, finally recognizing what was being taped. It was me! I sat on the hard branch, shocked that I had been so careless. I jumped to the ground, not really caring anymore if someone saw me now. I ran back to where I had stashed my things, and ran as fast as I could. I needed to get out of this forest. There was no doubt in my mind that Sabertooth would eventually see the report and come looking for me. Just that thought gave me desperate strength to run that extra mile. I slowed down near an old gas station, and took out my some spare cash I had grabbed on my way out of my apartment. I walked into the doorway, hearing the bells jingle behind me as the door shut. An old, greasy man sat behind the counter, reading a newspaper. He nodded to me, than returned to his reading. I glanced around to see what the store had. I walked to a shelf that had a lot of packaged foods and grabbed a couple of packages of crackers. I walked next to the refrigerator and grabbed a few bottles of water. Hopefully, none of this would spoil while I was back on the run. The old man looked up from the newspaper and ringed up my purchases. He put them in a paper bag, and I handed him a few folded dollars. I took the bag and stuffed it in my bag. I walked down the side of the road, following it to the nearest town. Luckily for me, it was a rather large city and I doubted that anyone would find me anytime soon. I walked around the dirty streets, never paying attention to my surroundings. I walked for three hours until I noticed one sign that stuck out in the blur of city lights. "Homeless Shelter." I pondered my situation, and quickly made up my mind to go. I walked through the glass doors and asked it I could stay for a while. I filled out some forms quickly and was lead to a rather clean room. Three beds were placed five feet apart. I wondered who I would be staying with, but exhaustion quickly took over as I lay down. I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

Loud racket woke me from my dreamless sleep, and I felt two small hands shake my shoulders. "Wake up, wake up! Dinner is ready!" I jumped from the bed, scaring the small girl that had woken me. She looked to be only nine, and had on a ratty, flowered dress. I put my hand to my heart, trying to slow my pounding heart. I glanced nervously at the little girl, who was staring at me. She smiled and said, "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. My name is Amelia Waters. What's yours?" she held out a small hand, and I took it, trying to stay calm. "My name is Carmen. Please, for both our sakes, don't surprise me like that!" She grinned sheepishly, and motioned for me to follow. She led the way out of the door, and took my hand. I looked at the friendly, innocent gesture with surprise. She led me down the hall to a large room filled with smells, some good some bad. Lot's of people were crowded in this room, all talking and mingling freely. Amelia led me over to a small group of children, ranging in age from seven to seven-teen. She sat down beside a tall girl with a friendly, round face. Her blue eyes sparkled with a life I never expected in a place like this and her high cheekbones gave her natural beauty. She looked to be about fourteen. "Hallo. Are you new here?" she asked. I nodded, not sure of what to do. She scooted over to make room for me to sit. "My name is Chelsea Waters. I'm sure you've already met my little sister, Amelia." I nodded, smiling slightly. "This is my older brother, Tom. He keeps track of all of us." She said, pointing to a blond headed boy with blue eyes similar to Chelsea's. But his eyes were very solemn, and held only a pale twinkle. "What's you name?" she asked. I turned back to her and answered, "I'm Carmen." My attention was turned back to the trays of food they were carrying to some of the tables. "Just Carmen? No last name?" she asked. I frowned a bit, and turned back to the table of staring children. "Yeah. Just Carmen. I was abandoned when I was a baby." I said quietly. "Oh, how sad." I heard Amelia say. I smiled at her and continued, "Well, it doesn't bother me much. I've lived with it for five-teen years now." Tom looked up at me for a second, but food was brought to the table and his curious stare was turned away from me.

Dinner was better than I thought it would be. Hamburgers and fries for all. Amelia and Chelsea led me back to the room, and I was ready for a good night's rest. I took a much-needed shower in the female bathrooms, and took out my nightclothes that I had snatched when I first went on the run from strangers. Being smart, I never changed my clothes out in the woods unless they were ripped beyond repair. I might have stinked, but at least I had clean clothes. I watched as Chelsea tried to calm Amelia down enough to sleep, but she never had much success. Feeling a bit bored, I started to hum a little song while folding some of my clothes into the dresser drawers. I had only been humming for a minute, when I noticed that there was total silence in the room. I turned around to see both of my roommates looking at me. "Please don't stop! It was such a pretty song." Amelia said, lying on the bed, hand in her hands. I blushed a bit. My singing had always been a gift of mine. I loved to sing, but ever since I ran away from the only home I had, I never felt like singing. I opened my mouth, and sang the soft words that were only a forgotten memory of my past. 

"_Hush now, my baby_

Be still love, don't cry.

Sleep as you're rocked by

The stream.

Sleep and remember

My last lullaby

So I'll be with you

When you dream"

I continued to sing, and watched as Amelia's eyelids began to droop. I watched her, and angel sleeping among the clouds. Chelsea picked her up and lay her down under the covers, and pulled them to her chin. Little did I know monsters would shatter her innocent sleep in the night.

R&R please!! I'll probably continue even if you don't give in-put. 


	14. Fate's Decision

Disclaimer: I don't own them

Disclaimer: I don't own them. Also, I'd like to thank all that reviewed. It was not in vain!

I had just drifted off to sleep when I heard a faint noise outside the door of our room. Voices echoed through the empty halls of shelter. I climbed as quietly as I could out of the bed, trying to avoid the squeaky spring. I walked across the room to the large white door, and put my ear up to the crack. 

"I'm so sorry for the mix up, sir. She should be around here somewhere…in on of these rooms." I heard a flustered voice say. Whoever she was talking to said something to low for me to hear. I heard her clear her throat, and continue on her inspection. "Hmm…let's see…"I heard her knock on one of the doors across from us. "Hello dear, have you seen a girl about this tall, with wavy brown hair with purple streaks? Golden eyes- no? Ok, thank you dear." The door closed softly, and I heard them move on. I hurried to where I had stashed my bag, thinking,_ I just got here, and already I've gotta leave. I need to write Amelia and Chelsea a note…but there's not enough time. I've gotta go!_ I moved quietly to the dresser, and pulled open its' drawer. I pulled all of my clothes out in a wad, and stuffed them in my bag. I wasn't sure who was looking for me, but neither option seemed my style. Sabertooth would just kill me. The X-men would put me in an atmosphere I can't live in. I can't live in the hero persona; it's just not for me. I have too many reasons to hate man, and I'm not about to go save their butts. I zipped it up, and opened the door a crack. _No one's in the hall…time to make a get-away!_

I slipped through the door, and walked quickly and quietly down the hall. "Excuse me, have you seen…oh, hello Carmen," the woman said. I turned around, realizing I had been caught. I saw a burly looking man in jeans and a tight tee shirt. An older man in a wheel chair sat beside him, a calculating look on his face. I glared at them, though I felt a bit happier that they weren't Sabertooth. "Where were you heading young lady?" the woman asked strictly. I turned to face her, shoving a nasty remark back down my throat. She was a calm looking woman, with pointed features. Her face was long, her nose sharp and commanding. Her eyes were an icy blue, and were very large. Like and owls, they seemed to glow behind the large, round frames of her glasses. I smiled as sweetly as I could, but it felt like it was a sour grin forming on my face. I heard Xavier clear his throat, and she turned to face him. He smiled, and said calmly, "Do not worry about it. We will be checking her out of here if you don't mind." I saw him smile, and I felt the tension ease out of her. **_Do not worry, Sabertooth cannot get you if you are with us, _**He whispered to my brain. _Get out of my head! I don't need your help! _I thought angrily. _I was doing just fine until I decided to depend on another. Foolish me for trusting. I'll no longer be the fool, Professor Xavier. I'm sure you heard the Scottish proverb, fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Well there shall be no more shame on my head._

He looked surprised at my bitter thoughts, and continued to follow the woman to the front desk. **_We shall not force you to join us. We just offer protection from your enemies. You may stay here if you wish, but we cannot protect you this far away, _** I sighed. There was no need to become friends, and it was free protection from Sabertooth. Live, danger. Live, danger. Such a hard choice. _I'll go with you on one condition,_ I thought, knowing he was still in my head. **_And what is that? _** He said a tiny bit relieved. _I don't want to be part of the 'club'. I don't want to be part of your 'family'. I'm just going for the protection. What will I have to pay you?_ I thought. **_No payment is necessary. We offer it for free. _** I saw the small smile he tried to suppress. I saw that he had told Logan my decision by the way he smiled and signed me out of the shelter. _What have I gotten myself? into?_ ****


	15. Not So Polite Hellos

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anyone except Carmen

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anyone except Carmen.

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Authors Notes: People, don't give upon good ole' Toad!Just cause she ran away doesn't mean he gave up on her! ::HINT HINT::

We rode to the mansion in silence. My instincts screamed at me to get out of the car, run back to the woods. But I knew all I would find in those woods is death in the waiting hands of Sabertooth. Pain and memories and death. So little to return to. I sat next to the window; Xavier and Wolverine sat up front. Trees and fields passed by us as we sped towards my prison. That's how I viewed it; a prison that prevented Sabertooth from killing me, but trapped me in a perfect world where only good can prevail. Fairy tales come to life. We pulled up in the long winding, driveway that leaded to the Xavier Institute. I opened the car door and grabbed my things from the trunk. "In a hurry, kid?" Wolverine asked. I just looked at him, unemotional golden eyes burning away his tough exterior. He visibly shuddered, and turned away to busy himself with Prof. Xavier. I turned around to face the large building. It shown with an inner glow in the bright moonlight. _Horrid place,_ I thought, not able to give up my disgust just yet. I watched the professor and Wolverine head towards the mansion, and I followed. The large doors loomed over me, guards standing watch over all that entered. I saw the dull sparkle of moonlight on plastic, and turned to see a camera hidden in the shadows. I shuddered, feeling that this place was even more like a prison than I thought. We entered the doorway, and I tried not to gawk. The place was almost as expensive looking as a museum.

"If you will please follow Logan, he shall lead you to where you will be staying." Xavier whispered. The house was silent except for Wolverine's and my footsteps, and the mechanical hum as the professor rolled away. I clutched the bag I had closer to my side, and walked in an awkward silence behind Wolverine. I searched the hallways, trying to count the cameras that lined the walls. I stopped when I reached twenty, shaking my head in doubt. I wasn't sure now that the Institute was such a good idea. I would be constantly watched, analyzed, and whispered about. After all I _was_ one of the Brotherhood. We turned down the halls, past wooden doors that hid Xaviers stooges. Wolverine finally stopped outside one of the doors and took the key out of his pocket. I felt a bit angry, my pride slightly burned. _They knew I would choose them over the homeless shelter,_ I thought._ They had everything planned out._ I glared at Wolverine's back, angry at my predictability. But I just let it go. It was too late at night to get worked up over something like that. I picked up my bag when he pulled the door open, and I walked in silently. I laid the bags on my bed, and looked out to the balcony. The room was faced to the mountains, and would have a beautiful view of the sunset. I turned when I heard the nearly inaudible click as Wolverine closed my door. I turned back, seeing the moon low in the sky. I collapsed on the bed with my clothes on and slept a restless sleep, full of nightmares and monsters of my past.

_ We stood on the dock in New Orleans, just Todd and me. We watched the sun set, his arms intertwined with mine as they rested around my waist. I leaned my head against his shoulder, and smiled as his grip tightened on my hands. A ship was coming into the dock, but I hardly paid it any mind. When it honked the horn, I looked to the deck and saw Andre waving at me. I unlocked one of my hands with Todd's and waved back. But when I put my hand back down, I felt fur under my fingers. I looked up, and screamed when I saw Sabertooth's leering face. I pulled away, and grabbed a knife off the ground. I plunged the blade into his heart, and watched in shock as blood poured from the wound. I jumped when the passing boat whistled, and turned back to Sabertooth. Only it wasn't Sabertooth. Blood fell in rivers from Andre's mouth. Then it was Todd, pain and disappointment clouded his eyes. I cried, tears blinding me. I dropped the weapon and ran from his dying body. I ran down the empty streets of New Orleans, crying tears for Andre, Todd, and for me. I ran past the park where I slept and past the bench where the old Cajun man had sat. I ran until I fell the ground, scraping my palms and my knees. I lay down on the hard street, curling my body as small as I could. I cradled my bleeding hands, and sobbed for my friend, my lover and my enemy. _

I sat up in bed, sweat and tears running from my face. I wiped them away, trying to forget the look of pain on their face. It was a bittersweet dream, giving me my greatest dream and worst nightmare all at once. I put my feet on the carpeted floor and walked to the bathroom. It was connected to my room, so I didn't have to bother with leaving my bedroom. I took a hot shower, trying to forget the dream. I had had ones like it before, only they were never so vivid. I wondered wearily if I had screamed in my sleep. I didn't doubt it, but the walls seemed pretty solid so maybe no one heard me. I grabbed the soap and scrubbed my face, trying to wash away the salty feeling of tears. I turned the shower off and dressed quickly, my hair still wet. I changed to my alligator skin, tired of hiding it. I walked to the rumpled bed and straightened the covers out a little. I pulled my bag out from under the bed, where I assumed it had fallen from my thrashing around during the night. I unzipped it, and pulled out the wrinkled wad of clothes. I noticed for the first time that I had slept till 1:54 in the afternoon. I pulled out my dirty cape. It had been my wall, my protector for so long. It had hidden me from the world. I no longer needed it, but I had the oddest feeling that I owed it something. I folded it carefully, and placed it in one of the four drawers of my bureau. I unpacked the rest of my clothes and put my lighter and first aid kit in the bottom drawer. My stomach growled loudly, reminding me that I hadn't eaten that day. It was a Monday, so I hoped that no one would be down stairs. I could handle Xavier and Wolverine, but I wasn't sure I could keep all my nasty remarks in if I met up with the other X-men.

I opened the door, and peeked around the corner, looking for any signs of life. Seeing and hearing nothing, I took off quickly down the hall. No need to run the risk a chance meeting with anyone. I walked down the grand staircase, fighting the urge to slide down the railing. I walked through the dining room with the large table in to the brightly-lit kitchen. I blinked a few times, trying to get used to the glare of the sunlight off the spotless counters. I turned to my left and opened the fridge. The remains of the X-men's breakfast were put away in small Tupperware containers. I pulled one out and threw it in the microwave. I zapped it for two minutes and ate it with my fingers. It was only eggs and bacon, so it was pretty easy. I washed the bowl when I was done and set it on the counter. I was walking out of the kitchen when a loud crash made me jump. I ran from the kitchen to where I thought the noise came from. The scene I stumbled onto made me start to doubt some of the X-men's intelligence. Ororo was standing it the entryway, hands on her hips. Her back was to me, and she was staring at a sheepish Evan. He was picking up the pieces of a once whole vase. He threw the sharp shards into the garbage bag that Ororo was holding and stood up. He noticed me, and I saw his eyes narrow. He glanced at Ororo and growled at me, "What are you doing here?" I was taken back, but quickly slid an unemotional mask on. Ororo turned around and smiled kindly to me. "She is staying with us for the time being, Evan," she said, coming to my defense. I smirked at him and continued on my way back to my room. I continued on, even though the rest of the X-men bursted through the door only a moment later. 

I had just settled down to read a book when I heard knocking on my door. I sighed and rolled off of the bed, walking slowly to the door. I opened it and found five of the six X-men standing there, smiles plastered on their face. _No Rogue…_I thought "Hi! Like, welcome to the Institute!" Kitty said. I turned cold eyes to her over excited face. "I wouldn't recommend that you go into acting," I said indifferently. Let's face it, their acting sucked. They didn't want me here anymore than I wanted to be. "Well hello to you too." Evan grumbled. I looked him, staring into his dark brown eyes. He turned away. _Just like the others,_ I thought disgustedly. _They can't look into my eyes either._ I leaned against the doorframe, waiting for them to continue. Scott had started to fidget, looking to Jean for a bit of help. She cleared her throat, unsure of how to begin. "Listen, I'm _touched _that you would try to welcome me, after my past, but I'm afraid that I have to discourage you." I began, sick of staring at their perfect preppy faces. "I didn't come here because I wanted to join your side. I came for protection against my enemies. I'm sorry if I disappointed you, but I only have three words to remedy it," I said. They leaned closer, unsure of what I'd say. I erased any smile that was left on my face, and grabbed the door handle. "Get. Over. It." I growled, and slammed the door in their faces. I returned tiredly to my book, ignoring my conscience's admonishment and the hungry growls of my stomach an hour later.

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*In the Institute's Dining room. *

"How was school?" Ororo asked. All of the X-men sat in silence, which was rather odd for five of them. "Fine," came the quiet mumbling from around the table. Ororo glanced at Professor Xavier, who looked back at her. They shared a silent message before turning back to the preoccupied students. Logan also sat in silence, but didn't seem to notice the silence. Jean stood up, plate cleared and walked to clean up the kitchen. Kitty followed suit a minute later, phasing through the door. The only sound from then on was the scraping of the chairs as the children put their dishes in the kitchen. Ororo stood up and set a plate for Carmen, seeing that she wouldn't be joining them for dinner. She put a domed top over it and walked into the kitchen, wondering if the silence was due to Carmen. "Will anyone volunteer to take Carmen's plate to her?" she asked, testing the nearly full kitchen. A chorus of 'no's and 'no thanks' went around. Curious, she turned to Kitty. She usually helped with everything she could. "Why not?" she asked, oblivious to the events of the afternoon. "She's so, like, hateful Storm! Why would anyone, like, want to give her dinner," she said, eyes wide and surprised at the notion. Rogue just snorted and walked up to Ororo. "Ah'll do it Storm," she said, taking the plate from her and heading up the stairs. She was heard mumbling about 'big chickens' when she closed the door behind her. 

Rogue knocked on the door and called to the closed door, " 'Ere's you're dinner!" The door opened and a small oval face peeked from the crack. "Thanks," Carmen muttered, taking the plate and shutting the door. Rogue walked down to the rec. room. "I don't know what ya'll are so afraid of. She seemed fine ta me," Rogue said, sitting on the couch and grabbing the remote to the TV. The other X-men just stared at her like she had lost her mind.

__

*Outside the Building*
    
    A shadowed figure was crouching in a tree near Carmen's open windows. He looked in the room, and saw her small body lying on the bed, reading some book. The figure just chuckled, and jumped to the ground. There was no escaping him now…

R&R! And thanks to all who reviewed in earlier chapters. It was not in vain. Plus, when the story is over, (which shouldn't be for a while,) I'll make a page just for ya'll! Names and comments shall be posted. Thanks again! 


	16. Adjustments

Disclaimer: See first chapter

Disclaimer: See first chapter. Also, I don't own any Anne Rice novels, but my mom does. So Anne Rice lawyers don't sue. They don't belong to me, okay?

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Author's Note: Thank you people for reviewing! I'm glad you like it, and I'm glad you're not bored. I would have written this sooner, but I had a burst of inspiration for new stories. I know that it's not much of and excuse, but it's true! Plus, I added a new chapter to Demon in my View, my other X-men Evo fic, and I made a new stories under my friend's pen name, Anubis, for "In the Forests of the Night" (long story). Newayz, I'll shut up now and let you read the story.

I hated my situation. My past mistakes kept me from making any friends with the X-men, letting them understand my complex personality. I wanted to let them know that I _was_ capable of caring for another person, that I _was _capable love, believe it or not. But I didn't want anyone else to get hurt from the bad luck that seemed to radiate from me. Unfortunately, my tough exterior had weakened, and I was spoiled from all the attention I had gotten from the Brotherhood. I began to long for companionship. Rogue was the only one who didn't seem afraid of me now. I know that it's because of me that the other X-men never go near my door, if they can help it. All I had was Rogue, and even she was a bit uncomfortable around me. She usually brought me dinner, when Ororo didn't want to bother with it. I had enough manners in me to thank her, but I always felt I owed her more. She was the only one who seemed to understand my need for privacy. The only one who used to live with the brotherhood, before she found out they had tricked her. I hadn't heard that side of it, but I still held a loyalty to them, even after learning some of their devious past. After all, I had a pretty devious past myself. There was a silent understanding between Rogue and me. She knew I didn't like it here, and longed for the freedom of the Brotherhood. But that was impossible. They would never take me back, not after letting Scott live. So, after a while I started inviting her in while I ate. I would avoid questions about my past. Most of the conversation would be about her, and the happenings of the outside world, meaning outside my room. I didn't want to get close to anyone, not now, not ever, but I was lonely. 

But this one particular night, Ororo had brought up my dinner and left without saying anything but a soft "your welcome". I was finishing up my dinner and my newest Anne Rice book, "The Mummy or Ramses the Damned", when I heard a faint sound outside my window. I rolled off the bed, trying to make as little noise as possible, placing the worn book on the nightstand beside the bed. I had read it countless times, and was in the part where he brought Cleopatra back to life. So, feeling a bit jumpy, I walked carefully to the balcony. I tried to avoid the creaky board under the oriental carpet, and walked out onto the small, white balcony. The chilly New England air confronted me. The sun was just setting in the west, and only faint bands of color could be seen over the treetops. It hadn't been as spectacular as the night before, but it, in itself, was beautiful. Pale blue sky melted like the wax of a candle to form a bleeding of orange and purple. The sun was just a bright ball of orange in the distance, and clouds had pink lining instead of silver. The dark sky of the night was still fighting to regain control of its territory, pushing the gentle colors and burning orb over to the other side of the earth. 

I watched the faint sprinkle of stars begin to sharpen, poking through the black sky to create the shadows that ruled the night. The moon was only beginning to rise on the other side of the house, but it was beyond my view. I would only be able to see it when the tall grandfather clock in the foyer struck one in the morning. I felt a smile tug at my lips involuntarily. Even Mother Nature wouldn't let me see the beauty of beginnings, only the sad glory of the end. I stood near the edge, leaning my weight on the railing, listening to the crickets' chirp out sweet melodies to comfort the stars. Any thoughts of burglars and such were pushed to the edge of my consciousness, and I just enjoyed the feeling of living in this calm world. The wind rustled the branches of the oak trees, making the shadows writhe in the gentle moonlight. I walked back to my warm room, cherishing and despising the feeling of security. I closed the full-length glass windows, and drew the curtains to cut off the night. I pulled off my shoes and my bell anklet, leaving the socks. I was trying to be as quiet as possible and tiptoed out the door leading to the hallway. It was only eight o' clock, but the others, excluding Rogue, had gone to some senior's party. I walked silently down the hall, and stopped outside her door. I considered knocking, but from the sounds of her loud music, she wasn't much in the mood for company. I walked past, and tiptoed down the stairs. I couldn't shake he feeling that I was being watched. Which I was. The five cameras that were posted around the grand foyer were still on and functioning perfectly as far as I knew. The moonlight glinted dully off their plastic surface, and a red blinking light pierced the darkness every few seconds. I wasn't sure why Professor Xavier put all the cameras up. You figure a house with two telepaths and a wolf man would be enough security. But I didn't care too much. Whatever rocks his boat. I made it to the front door without meeting anyone, and escaped my confines to the scatter of trees to the left of the mansion. 

I walked quickly until I was hidden among the branches and foliage. I pulled off my socks and enjoyed the feeling of the muddy ground and leaves under my feet. The sweet smell of moist dirt and living plants filled my being and numbed my mind. I felt a deep longing for the freedom of the forests where I lived after my damnation from the Brotherhood. It wasn't the best life when I lived it, but I now know I had something better, something closer to my nature. But it was gone now. One crazy deed and I was once again on the run. I was stuck in a mutant hell, where I can't be free and I can't be happy! But such as my miserable life. I walked through the scattered trees, oblivious to the sounds of the crunching of gravel as Scott and the others pulled up the driveway. Which was a bad move on my part. I wasn't watching where the car was going, and I didn't see the people jumping out of the vehicle. I ignored the yells and shouts that they all emitted, as I climbed swiftly up on of the few cypress trees. I was oblivious to the sounds of a tiny explosion, and never noticed the faint odor of brimstone in the air. I only knew that another person was near me when he appeared next to me in a cloud of purple pink smoke. I yelped, and jumped to the ground quickly. I landed on my feet, but the impact locked my knees for a moment. I leaned against the tree, trying to slow my heart and catch my breath as the pain from the fall dulled. _Oh I hate it when they do things like this,_ I thought. I looked up to see the outline of a very fluffy elf looking creature, staring down at me, his feet swinging idly. 

I glared at the invader, and ran back to the house without a further thought, leaving my socks. I heard him laughing behind me, and calling for me to come back, but I ran on, ignoring his giggling pleas. I ran through the open door and took the steps two at a time. I had to escape all the people. I ran past Scott and Jean, past Kitty and Evan. I raced to my room, and slammed the door shut. I stared at the wooden structure that protected me from the horrid X-men, almost daring anyone to knock or enter. I stood there, chest heaving, braced for anything and everything. Nothing happened. The door remained shut, and I slowly eased my tense muscles. I stood up straight and stretched, reaching for the ceiling. I turned around, and noticed for the first time I wasn't alone. A dark form slouched in the corner of my room, hidden in the shadows. But that didn't bother me. I knew who this person was. I would know him if he were in disguise. I had memorized his figure, and the aura he gave off.

"You!" I cried, and watched a slow grin spread across his face. 

Sooooooo, do you like it? Just to let ya know I'm requesting three reviews to continue this. I feel a little sad. I hardly get one for each chapter lately, and I need to know if anyone reads this, okay? 


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